In The Stores: DVDs

October New DVDs Roundup
Great acting in mostly mediocre movies is the theme of this month’s roundup, as actresses from Julie Christie and Sigourney Weaver to Angelina Jolie and Ashley Judd repeatedly outshine their materials...

September Classic DVD Roundup
Check out this inside look at classic films recently re-released for DVDs in September, includes reviews and info on bonus material....

September Foreign DVD Roundup
In this global cinematic marketplace, labeling something a “foreign film” is no longer so cut-and-dry. Among this month’s releases are a film made in France by an American, two British films and a movie about a would-be terrorist by a Brooklyn-based director...

TV On DVD Roundup 2
It’s not just new and classic TV series this time around–among this month’s releases are recent and old mini-series, vintage HBO comedy specials and a lengthy documentary presentation about war (no, it’s not the current Ken Burns series)...

TV On DVD Roundup
As we await the beginning of a new fall TV season with some trepidation, here’s a roundup of what’s recently become available of both current and classic shows...

More Classics on DVD: From Shakespeare to Showgirls
For this column about new and recent releases of older—sometimes even truly classic—films on disc, the true standout is Warner Home Video’s massive Shakespeare Collection...

August DVD Roundup
Now that the summer blockbusters have come and gone, it’s time to catch up on the movies that slipped through the cracks–aside from the smash hit “300"–now that they’re finally on DVD...

A Tribute to the Old Masters On DVD
In the many obituaries and appreciations following the recent deaths of Ingmar Bergman and Michelangelo Antonioni, only Fellini and Buñuel were mentioned in the same breath. But this month's batch of DVD reissues sees living legends Carlos Saura and Alain Resnais added to that list of masters...

New DVDs for July: Mainstream Films
In these days of $50 million weekend grosses, movies that don’t even make that much during their entire theatrical lives are not considered “hits.” Of course, when they get to DVD a scant few months later, the playing field is once again leveled and–whether it’s an Israeli film or a Disney kids’ movie–the movies have new chances to find their audiences...

New DVDs for July: Classics, Foreign Films, and Docs
This grab bag of current DVD releases includes classic foreign films, far-from-classic TV series and several documentaries that range from the sublime (German singer Dietrich Fische-Dieskau) to the sadly ridiculous (suicide leapers off the Golden Gate Bridge)...

Criterion Collection DVD Roundup
Already far and away the leading DVD company, the Criterion Collection has further cemented its status with a new DVD label, Eclipse, in which several films which won’t otherwise receive the full Criterion treatment are released in thematic or director’s set...

June's DVD Roundup
Ecletic fare for all tastes as the DVD format fills in the gaps. From masterworks by Renoir and Hitchcock to laugh-em-ups from Chevy Chase and John Cleese, June's releases will keep home audiences happy...

Clint's War on DVD
Clint Eastwood’s two films about the pivotal WWII battle of Iwo Jima–“Flags of Our Fathers” and “Letters from Iwo Jima”–look, on paper, to be the ultimate bookends about experiencing war, “Flags” from the American point of view, and “Letters” from the Japanese side...

May DVD Releases
Current DVD releases showcase our biggest stars and award-winning performers. Check out Denis Leary in "Rescue Me," Diane Keaton in "Because I Said So," and George Clooney in "The Good German"...

New Foreign Films on DVD
As a rule, foreign films explore territory that’s often anathema to their American counterparts, which may be why Mel Gibson decided to make his last two movies in languages other than English. These new releases tackle subjects like corporate corruption, Napoleon’s exile and the war in Iraq ...

Classic Japanese Thriller "Vengeance Is Mine" Now On DVD
Director Shohei Imamura was able to make documentary-like portraits of Japanese people which often exploded into  recreations of the anarchy in modern life. Probably the most notable example of Imamura’s genius at marrying realism and surrealism is “Vengeance Is Mine,” now getting its first U.S. release on DVD by the estimable Criterion Collection...

Oscar-Winning "King" and "Queen" on DVD
Helen Mirren and Forest Whitaker won well-deserved Oscars for their lead performances as, respectively, Elizabeth II in “The Queen” and General Idi Amin Dada in “The Last King of Scotland." Check out both films now in stores on DVD...

Operas Arrive on DVD
While there’s nothing like seeing an opera live in the opera house, DVD technology has closed the gap between seeing it in person and watching it at home. From "Anna Bolena" to "L'Orfeo" Kevin Filipski reviews the latest releases ...

Overlooked Indies on DVD
DVD levels the playing field for the films that didn’t get a shot with audiences upon their original release in theaters. Kevin Filipski sorts out the flicks getting a second chance, from the failed Oscar nominees to the arthouse elite ...

TV on DVD
From 1960s relics ("The Addams Family") and 80s fads ("Miami Vice") to current smash hits ("The Shield"), television boxsets are being released to eager couch potatoes in increasing numbers. Here are some reviews of the small screen's spring DVD offerings...

Docs on Disc
Thanks to high-profile documentaries like “Fahrenheit 9/11" and “An Inconvenient Truth” many indie non-fiction films have gotten a boost they’ve never had before. Here are a dozen of the most stimulating recent documentaries released on DVD...

Criterion DVD Picks
The Criterion Collection remains the standard bearer for DVD production, from its superb restorations to the informative and scholarly supplements. Here are some recent and new Criterion releases that are worth your time and money...

See it Now: Oscars on DVD
The films at the 2007 Academy Awards were daring, diverse, and... not many people saw them. However, all is not lost if you missed out in the theaters: many of this year's Oscar-nominated films are already available on DVD or will be by the time you read this. So here's a short list of the films and what their accompanying DVDs have to offer...

"Classics" on DVD
Not every old film is a classic, but the DVD studios want you to think so, based on what they put out week after week. Here's both the wheat and the chaff of the most recent "classic" releases ...

Superman Returns
Few films have been stuck in development longer than "Superman Returns." The whole sordid story is far too long to be done justice with anything less than a book, but we have put together a timeline, showing the starts and stops on a project that was on the boards for almost 20 years before it actually got into theaters. The saga of this remarkable film's long evolution finally culminated into the film's release earlier this year and now, the DVD...