Robson Arms: Season 2 (2006)

Robson Arms has quickly become one of my favorite Canadian TV series, and about the only thing wrong with it is that the seasons are too short. Another great collection of episodes, VSC's release is nicely supplemented. Recommended.

Release Date: November 08, 2007
VSC

Caligula: Three-Disc Imperial Edition (1979)

A comically awful film with a long, sordid backstory of directorial power struggles and too much sex gets the absolute royal treatment from Image with this stellar three-disc Imperial Edition. The sheer amount of supplemental material (including a pre-release version of the film) is festooned with three commentaries, documentaries, and DVD-ROM content that does wonders in reassembling the pieces, leaving you to decide what went wrong where.

The movie is very, very bad, but the scope and presentation of the extras on this set is outstanding. If there was ever a case of recommending a DVD release solely for the supplements, this would be it.

Release Date: October 02, 2007
Image Entertainment

I'm Not There (2007)

Occasionally a little too hipper-than-thou, but, as inspired by its muse, the film is frequently brilliant and riveting, if not always illuminating. Bob Dylan may remain the great sphinx of our popular culture, and no mere feature film can solve him. Still, no shortage of fascinations here, and voluminous extras to back it all up.

Release Date: May 06, 2008
The Weinstein Company

Paddle to the Sea (1966)

A patient, lyrical ode to the forces of nature, Bill Mason's Paddle to the Sea is a delightful children's story brought to life. Despite its age and methodical pace, there's no reason today's young children can't enjoy it just as much on DVD as those who watched it decades ago, clattering through the reels of a classroom projector.

Release Date: April 29, 2008
Home Vision Entertainment

La Roue (1923)

Kudos to Flicker Alley for finally bringing this hugely influential film to American viewers, in a lovely restoration that will please nearly everyone.

Release Date: May 06, 2008
Flicker Alley

P.S. I Love You (2007)

An underappreciated romance gets a nice transfer, and the extras are worthwhile if not plentiful.

Release Date: May 06, 2008
Warner Home Video

Lucker the Necrophagous (1986)

With low-budget, yet convincing gore FX, gritty locales and an endless string of killings, Lucker isn’t a bad way to kill some time for the hardcore horror fans seeking a crimson fix. For all others, however, this is a cheap and nasty little production that will likely disgust, then bore, its viewer.

Release Date: May 20, 2008
Synapse Films

Delirious (2006)

Steve Buscemi does what he does so well here—all wiry, edgy, and foul-mouthed—but it's the charismatic performances of Michael Pitt and Alison Lohman that easily tip the scales on this one. All of the oddball characters (flawed or otherwise) are entertaining, and Tom DiCillo's dialogue is satirical, caustic, and funny.

I hated to see this one end. Where the hell is the soundtrack album?

An under-the-radar title to be sure (and one of my favorites of 2008), but consider it highly recommended.

Release Date: May 06, 2008
Genius Products

August Rush Combo DVD and HD-DVD (2007)

An often poignant and heartfelt fantasy about music and the longing for family, August Rush features an outstanding performance by young Freddie Highmore. Other than a few annoying glitches, the transfer is excellent.

Release Date: April 01, 2008
Warner Home Video

Father Knows Best: Season One (1954-1955)

I loved this show as kid, watching reruns in the late 1960s, and I'm pleased to find it still retains a very comfortable charm. This stuff is still highly enjoyable.

Recommended.

Release Date: April 01, 2008
Shout Factory

South Park: Imaginationland (2007)

The transfer has some shortcomings, but there's plenty of disgusting humor in this ambitious set of programs that fans will want to have. The inclusion of two bonus episodes is particularly welcome.

Release Date: March 11, 2008
Paramount Home Video

How the Earth Was Made (2007)

It might be a bit dry for some, and it's probably a bit general for science-types, but I found How the Earth Was Made just right. The extra piece on volcanoes is somethat less enjoyable, but still interesting, and I applaud the earth-friendly packaging (if only they'd do it more often). The History Channel has put together a documentary of high quality that moves briskly and with clarity.

Release Date: April 15, 2008
A&E Home Video

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (Blu-ray) (2007)

Though it didn't generate much box office during its theatrical release, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead remains one of the finest movies of 2007. Its mesmerizing story, masterful performances, and assured direction will keep you gripped from start to shattering finish, and the top-notch Blu-ray audio and video make the action unnervingly immediate. Highly recommended.

Release Date: April 15, 2008
Image Entertainment

Cheers: The Ninth Season (1990-1991)

The bar “where everybody knows your name” continues going strong in Cheers: The Ninth Season. This great batch of 26 episodes is more of the same character-driven comedy that we grew to love in the first eight seasons. Paramount Home Video brings all episodes to us in this nice 5-disc set, which contains solid audio and video, yet, sadly, no extras at all.

Release Date: April 29, 2008
Paramount Home Video

The Red Balloon (1956)

Albert Lamorisse's 1956 classic short gets an impressive video transfer from Criterion, and priced at under $10, there is absolutely no reason this should not be a part of any self-respecting DVD library.

It may be labeled a children's film, but don't let that sway you. If you have never had the pleasure of seeing The Red Balloon, now's your chance.

Highly recommended.

Release Date: April 29, 2008
The Criterion Collection

The Kite Runner (2007)

A relentlessly self-congratulatory project, which offers strongly felt humanitarian sentiments, but little else.

Release Date: March 25, 2008
DreamWorks

The Red Kimona (1925)

A thoroughly entertaining melodrama, The Red Kimona fulfills its didactic purpose yet steers clear of preachiness. The DVD from Kino is fine if unexceptional.

Release Date: April 22, 2008
Kino on Video

Evan Almighty (2007)

It’s easy to see why Evan Almighty failed to produce the same box office numbers that its predecessor put up. With a lifeless cast and an unfunny script, this film was a poor concept to begin with. The Universal disc isn’t without its technical problems either, although there is a large extras collection.

Release Date: October 09, 2007
Universal Studios Home Video

Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection: Volume 3 (1951)

Everyone’s favorite cat and mouse games resume in Warner’s Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection: Volume 3 2-disc DVD collection. Their constant battles also involve some of their friends, and Warner’s continued commitment to excellence when it comes to this series is evident in this new release as well.

Release Date: September 11, 2007
Warner Home Video

The Films of Kenneth Anger: Volume II (1964-1981)

This second volume of Anger shorts—anchored by the infamous presence of Lucifer Rising—is pure, unadulterated art. Highly subjective to be sure, but as brilliant and thought-provoking as all interpretative expression should truly be.

So far from mainstream it's not even funny. Yet still highly recommended.

Release Date: October 02, 2007
Fantoma Films

Final Draft (2007)

A very nice "I'm coming unglued!" performance from James Van Der Beek is buried beneath the wreckage of a script that borrows from stuff we've all seen before, especially if you're a Stephen King fan.

Release Date: September 18, 2007
Genius Products

The Tomorrow Show: John, Paul, Tom & Ringo (1975-1981)

Even though the questioning could have been improved on, these are still fascinating historical chats with three of the former Beatles. The transfer is quite acceptable considering the videotape sources.

Release Date: April 01, 2008
Shout Factory

I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With (2007)

I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With is the type of film to enjoy while relaxing on the couch and enjoying a bottle of wine (and maybe cheese). Fans of low-key humor and romance should definitely give this film a chance. Garlin's connection with the material raises the personal stakes and delivers an enjoyable tale.

Release Date: April 15, 2008
IFC

Shrooms (2007)

Creepy and bizarre right on through to the end, Shrooms stays the course and melds premonitions, backwoods weirdos, legends, and a talking cow into one bloody good time.

Highly recommended.

Release Date: March 25, 2008
Magnolia

Death of a Cyclist (1955)

Even if the allegorical aspects of its Spanish politics may be lost on most of us, this remains the startlingly clear work of an angry young man with the talent to match his brio. It works as a manifesto of sorts, and as a Mediterranean noir, and looks fantastically sharp on this DVD. Criterion deserves particular praise for helping this stunner of a picture find a new English-language audience.

Release Date: April 22, 2008
The Criterion Collection

Kaos (1984)

A worthy rendering of some of the stories of Lugi Pirandello, but long enough to test the patience and good nature of those not completely enchanted by the tales and the filmmaking.

Release Date: April 01, 2008
Koch Lorber

P2 (2007)

The 2007 thriller, P2, is a true waste of a decent concept. More concerned with showing us a busty damsel in distress, director Franck Khalfoun should have spent more time on a couple of aspects that tend to make for a good movie: story and character development. Summit’s DVD does feature excellent audio and video presentations, but the extras are throw-away fluff, at best.

Release Date: April 08, 2008
Summit Entertainment

Cloverfield (2008)

I'm glad to say Cloverfield delivers what it promised in that infamous trailer, uncorking a chaotic and fun monster movie that goes with a shaky Blair Witch approach to covering all the action. At not even 85 minutes long, no one can accuse director Matt Reeves of overstaying his welcome, and in that time he keeps explanations to a minimum and focuses on a small group of friends trying to make their way through New York City as a big nasty creature destroys it.

Highly recommended.

Release Date: April 22, 2008
Paramount Home Video

The Savages (2007)

A terrifically talented trio of lead actors find every last complexity in a mordantly funny and true screenplay, making for a keenly observed film about growing old, and caring for those you're related to, whether you like them or not, as time brutally marches on.

Release Date: April 22, 2008
20th Century Fox

Hypocrites (1915)

Lois Weber displays a confident directorial eye in her short feature Hypocrites, even if the preaching quickly leaves you bored. She's a silent filmmaker I'd like to see more of. Kino's disc is bare bones, but despite the films both having some heavy damage, this is a perfectly fine disc.

Release Date: April 22, 2008
Kino on Video

He Was a Quiet Man (2006)

The cover blub proclaiming this as "the bastard child of Brazil, Fight Club and Amelie" is a brash, eye-catching statement that ultimately proves to be just too difficult to live up to. In the library of the dangerously disgruntled working drone genre, He Was a Quiet Man is indeed an often trippy and bold experience, filled with talking fish, unusual romance, a rogue colostomy bag, and a disturbingly relatable sense of being a small cog in a big wheel.

Plus, a neat "I can't take it anymore" performance from Slater—buoyed by fake teeth and thin hair—is nicely done.

Well worth the rent.

Release Date: January 15, 2008
Anchor Bay

Balls Of Fury (2007)

Not as many big laughs as I was expecting—given the involvement of the Reno! 911 people—but Balls Of Fury writhes around in its own glib dumbness rather efficiently. A few too many hit-in-the-crotch jokes for my tastes, but the cast keep the silliness within comfortably digestible limits, especially Thomas Lennon and another mondo bizarro turn for Christopher Walken.

Add it to your rainy day rental queue.

Release Date: December 18, 2007
Universal Studios Home Video

Two-Lane Blacktop (1971)

A leisurely character study of ostensibly what it means to drive, race and to use a car as an extension of oneself. Monte Hellman goes minimal with dialogue, but still creates a travelogue that is almost the equivalent free range man/car porn, James Taylor and Warren Oates take the back roads through America, with the discoveries of the journey far more important than the final destination.

As a bonus, Criterion's scholarly set of supplements for this 2-disc set is nothing short of impressive.

Highly recommended.

Release Date: December 11, 2007
The Criterion Collection

Autopsy: Postmortem with Dr. Michael Baden (2008)

Even though the series is among HBO’s most compelling, the new DVD, Autopsy: Postmortem with Dr. Michael Baden, is a disappointing representation of it. The featured subjects are great attention grabbers, but there isn’t enough time to give each one the attention they deserve. The technical aspects of the disc are just fine, but there aren’t any extras to speak of.

Release Date: March 18, 2008
HBO

Five Days (2007)

A block of fine performances hold this tense British kidnapping drama together, even though the resolution comes across somewhat hurried. Remarkably that's hardly all that much of a problem, as it is the layered interactions and easily fragmented lives that is the real emotional center of the story

Consider this a hearty rental recommendation.

Release Date: March 11, 2008
HBO

101 Dalmatians Platinum Edition (1961)

While it is a clear break with the past of the Disney studios, 101 Dalmatians is fun from beginning to end, with plenty of suspense and a great villain. The transfer is a little lacking, and the extras aren't quite up to usual Platinum Edition standards.

Release Date: March 04, 2008
Walt Disney Home Video

The Night of the Shooting Stars (1983)

A memory piece that borrows some of the finest stylistic elements from Neorealism and magic realism, with a feature-length directors' interview that makes it almost a double feature.

Release Date: April 01, 2008
Koch Lorber

Blast of Silence (1961)

Rescued from relative obscurity, the movie chugs along with the cheap propulsive energy of the best early Samuel Fuller pictures, like The Naked Kiss, and offers a window into the past of New York City that no film made on a backlot ever could.

Release Date: April 15, 2008
The Criterion Collection

Juno (2007)

The trappings for this story bring with them all sorts of perils—of things that are clichéd, or maudlin, or both—but Juno successfully navigates around all of them, and tells a story that's smart and sweet and funny and sharp. It may be too late to shut out all the buzz about the movie and you won't want to set your expectations too high, but it really is a carefully told and funny story. The ample DVD extras make this one easy to recommend.

Release Date: April 15, 2008
20th Century Fox

The Sickhouse (2007)

Some creepy visuals didn't make me care for any of the characters at all, despite an ending that better than most B-grade horror titles. What's here is lots of wandering in dimly lit corridors, punctuated by bursts of shadowy menace.

Release Date: March 18, 2008
New Line Home Cinema

Into the Wild (CE) (2007)

This two-disc set isn't necessarily a must own, considering there just isn't that much in the way of supplemental material. The film—also available as a single disc release—is a knockout, a gorgeous travelogue with a tragic coda that we all know is coming.

One of my absolute favorites of this year, and highly recommended.

Release Date: March 04, 2008
Paramount Home Video

Walk the Line: Extended Cut (2005)

Sure, it might seem like just another opportunity for Fox to milk more money out of Walk the Line’s success, but this two-disc Extended Cut is much more. Not only do we get to experience a more comprehensive, arguably more effective, version of this biopic, but we also get stellar audio and video, as well as enough new extras to please fans for quite some time.

Release Date: March 25, 2008
Fox Home Entertainment

The Ice Storm (The Criterion Collection) (1997)

A carefully rendered portrait of an emotionally dispiriting time and place, The Ice Storm simply can't be written off as a look at something long ago and far away. It's as much of a period piece as the director's previous picture, Sense and Sensibility, and just as attuned to the emotional gradations of its button-downed times as was Miss Austen. The full-boat Criterion treatment shows the movie off to great advantage.

Release Date: March 18, 2008
The Criterion Collection

Trigger Man (2007)

Trigger Man is a short film idea pushed to barely feature-length proportions. The few genuine moments of suspense are stretched between long passages of nothingness, apparently meant to heighten the impending danger. The abrupt locale switch for the final act is a nice touch, but writer/director Ti West's purposeful ambiguity on the plot side is simply aggravating.

Release Date: March 18, 2008
Kino on Video

Pu-239 (2007)

Here's a grim drama punctuated by unexpected blobs of dark humor, as poor Paddy Considine finds that being exposed to a deadly dose of radiation is almost the least of his worries. Bleak, depressing and violent, Pu-239 operates well outside the path of being predictable.

Recommended.

Release Date: March 25, 2008
HBO

Warner Gangsters Collection, Vol. 3 (1931-40)

Six reasonably swell gangster pictures from the rip-snorting 1930s—your favorite probably isn't in here, but the set is still jammed with peppy movies and plenty of information about them.

Release Date: March 25, 2008
Warner Home Video

Houdini the Movie Star (1919-1923)

While Houdini wasn't exactly a thespian, and his choice of scripts was lamentable, viewers will most likely be interested in his escapes, and there's plenty of material on display here. It seems Kino has collected virtually all the film of the magician in one handy set for the historical record, and the transfer is solid even if some of the source materials are less-than-pristine.

Release Date: April 08, 2008
Kino on Video

The Dragon Painter (1919)

A pair of very different looks at Japanese culture in the silent era, from exceedingly rare prints, are provided a stellar presentation on Milestone's disc. Highly recommended on all counts.

Release Date: March 18, 2008
Milestone Film & Video

Deadliest Catch: Season 3 (2007)

Enjoy some actual high-quality reality television with Discovery Channel’s great show, Deadliest Catch. This new DVD set compiles all of the third season episodes in a nice package that features excellent audio and video, along with a revealing behind-the-scenes documentary.

Release Date: April 08, 2008
Image Entertainment

Atonement (2007)

Atonement suffers from the weight of expectations generated by its Oscar nominations and critical acclaim. Removed from the high praise, the picture offers an interesting story and several compelling sequences. It would benefit from more character development and a tighter second half, but I'd still recommend a rental if you're in the right mood.

Release Date: March 18, 2008
FOCUSfilm Entertainment