THE "DOCUMENT THIS" DISC OF THE WEEK

No End in Sight
One of the most muscular and lauded documentaries of 2007 is Charles Ferguson's clear-eyed and straight-shooting insider's look at the Iraq war. Ferguson -- a political scientist and member of the Council on Foreign Relations -- engages us without the Michael Moore agitprop histrionics (therefore without our own frustrated eye-rolling), so we're with him all the way as this engrossing and often achingly frank film overviews how we got there -- the unplanned-for aftermath post-"Mission Accomplished," and how avoidable (even forewarned) blunders, recklessness, and blatantly insouciant inexperience and incompetence have been allowed to pile-drive U.S. policy decisions and their consequences, not to mention some $2 trillion of our entrusted capital.

Based on over 200 hours of footage, No End in Sight features first-hand input from high-ranking officials inside the White House, the Pentagon and Baghdad's Green Zone -- such as former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, Ambassador Barbara Bodine (in charge of Baghdad during the Spring of 2003), Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, former Chief of Staff to Colin Powell, and General Jay Garner (in charge of the occupation of Iraq through May 2003), as well as Iraqi civilians, American soldiers and prominent analysts. It's arguably the best primer on the topic so far, and that's an argument worth having.

The DVD's extras include bonus interviews, "Personal Story: Larry Diamond - Life Under Saddam," footage of Iraq, and lots more. Widescreen 1.77:1.

THE "SATURDAY NIGHT WITHOUT A DATE" RENTAL DISCS OF THE WEEK

Talk to Me
The film did okay by most critics and so-so with audiences, not generating a lot of buzz, but Don Cheadle and Chiwetel Ejiofor are always worth your time even when they're better than the material they're given. And this material's not bad. It's just that this "inspired by a true story" biopic about Petey Greene (Cheadle), an ex-con who finds a new life and notoriety as a popular truth-speaking radio DJ, has a hard time convincing us that it's a story worthy of this movie. It's got Cheadle and Ejiofor, it's got the hard-times drama and snarky humor, it's got the social consciousness, it's got that 1960s vibe right. But the script is just ordinary, and it chooses to talk at us more than it talks with us.

Talk to Me receives a modest DVD treatment, with two short featurettes -- "Who Is Petey Greene?" and "Recreating P-Town" -- six deleted scenes, some ads and promos. You can find it in various separate editions: widescreen 2.35:1, full-screen and "HD DVD/Standard DVD Combo."

In the Land of Women
Tired of the term "chick flick?" This low-wattage dramedy is one reason to be. Even the presence of Olympia Dukakis and Meg Ryan (remember her?) don't add the oomph the thin story needs to boost Adam Brody and Elena Anaya on their way to the third-act life lessons. Still, the cast puts in good work and this is the feature writing/directing debut of Jon Kasdan, whose dad is Lawrence Kasdan, so maybe this is merely a "meh" start toward better things to come. The basic DVD comes with both full-frame and widescreen 2.35:1 versions.

THE "VIEW THE MUSIC" DISC OF THE WEEK

The Other Side of the Mirror: Bob Dylan Live at Newport Folk Festival 1963-1965
The times -- and Dylan himself -- were a-changin', and if you were at the legendary Newport festivals in 1963, '64 or '65 you couldn't help but feel big gusts of that change blowin' magnificently in the wind.

But even if you weren't born yet, you owe it to yourself to see the master live and in his prime, and to be knocked backward by how the times then are a whole lot like the times now. Fans already know that the highlight attraction here is the '65 performance that outraged the folk music establishment, foresaw more changes to come, and eventually gave "Electric Dylan controversy" its own Wikipedia entry. Also appearing with him are Joan Baez, The Freedom Singers, Johnny Cash, and Peter, Paul and Mary. A bonus feature is an interview with director Murray Lerner. Full-screen 1.33:1.

MORE NEW DVD RELEASES:
THE "WE LIKE TO WATCH" DISCS OF THE WEEK
THE "UBIQUITOUS BLOCKBUSTER BLITZ" DISC OF THE WEEK
THE "UNDER THE RADAR YET WORTH LOOKING FOR" DISCS OF THE WEEK

Recommend (0)

|  Comments (0)

|  Email

|  Share

Share  Facebook Digg del.icio.us