What It’s About: An utterly silly and enjoyable movie that came and went in theatres without anyone blinking an eye will be adored by fans of period movies and romantic comedies on DVD. Starring Heath Ledger and Sienna Miller, it tells the story of Giacomo Casanova, the legendary lover of Venice who bedded countless women. Of course, this is Hollywood’s version and, not too much is known about the actually Casanova, so everything gets tied up in a neat little bow to make audiences happy at the end.
The best part of the film is the acting (Sienna Miller aside). Ledger is great as Casanova, and seems to really be enjoying himself in the role but the real treat is both Jeremy Irons as an evil Bishop Inquisitor and Oliver Platt who is hilarious as a pudgy pompous wealthy lard salesman. I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this film since it didn’t do that well in theatres but I found myself laughing out loud and just feeling delighted by the end. My one issue is Sienna Miller. I just can’t get past her trashy real-life ways to like her in a role.
Synopsis: He was the world's most notorious seducer. A swashbuckler, master of disguise and wit - it was said no woman could resist Casanova's amorous charms. Until now.
For the first time in his life, the legendary Casanova (Heather Ledger) is about to meet his match with an alluring Venetian beauty, Francesca (Sienna Miller), who does the one thing he never thought possible: refuse him. Through a series of clever disguises and scheming ruses, he manages to get ever closer to Francesca. But he is playing the most dangerous game he has ever encountered – one that will risk not only his life and reputation, but his only chance at true passion.
From Academy Award® nominated director Lasse Hallström ("Chocolat," "The Cider House Rules") comes a rousing romantic comedy about Casanova's greatest adventure -- losing his heart. The film also stars Oscar® Winner Jeremy Irons, as the detective-like Bishop Pucci who pursues Casanova, hoping to catch him in the act of illicit seduction, Oscar® nominee Lena Olin as the mother of Francesca, and Oliver Platt as Paprizzio, Francesca's betrothed.
Technical Stuff: Surprisingly stunning picture is presented in 2.35:1 format and is rich with colour, crisp, clear and vivid. Where did this movie come from?
The sound is also excellent and comes in DTS 5.1 Digital Surround, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround or French/Spanish 2.0, with optional subtitles in English, French, and Spanish.
Extras?
· Audio commentary with director Lasse Hallstrom
· An extended scene: "Hidden in Plain Sight"
· Featurette: "Creating an Adventure," the making of "Casanova"
· Featurette: "Dressing in Style," the costumes of "Casanova"
· Featurette: "Visions of Venice," recreating the city
Final Verdict: I’m pretty shocked but I really liked Casanova and would certainly watch it again. It’s a frothy whipped cream with sprinkles silly good time.

What It’s About: It’s a bad sign when the male species can’t even enjoy a film that stars Charlize Theron’s bodysuit-clad body. But that’s the disaster that is Aeon Flux. Ridiculed by critics when it hit theatres months ago, it will now try to find an audience of some sort but will probably fail. The movie’s problem is that it takes itself too seriously. The dialogue is so bad that it even transcends the so-bad-it’s-good territory and just reverts back to it’s so bad.
If there was some humour, some “we know it sucks but enjoy it” or some irony happening, Paramount could have salvaged at least something here but it plays out in a serious fashion, attempting to be something it’s just not. It’s a mess. The action shots suck and the editing makes even the fighting scenes un-enjoyable. Stay far away.
Synopsis: 400 years in the future, after a virus decimates the world population, only one city on Earth remains. Ruled by the Goodchild dynasty, it is a perfect society of peace and prosperity - except that its citizens keep mysteriously disappearing. Charlize Theron stars as Aeon Flux, a secret agent/assassin/warrior whose mission is to bring down the regime. But as she goes deeper into her mission, Aeon uncovers some shocking secrets that put the mission -- and her life -- in danger.
Technical Stuff: So this is weird—I was expecting a perfect picture since it’s a new movie but a lot of the computer generated effects look soft and there is some print damage…what the heck? The picture comes in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen.
The soundtrack is very loud if you like that sort of thing but is kind of jumbled at times. Optional English and Spanish subtitles as well as optional English closed captions are also included.
Extras?
· Audio commentary by Charlize Theron and producer Gail Anne Hurd
· Audio commentary by writers Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi
· Creating a World: Aeon Flux featurette
· Locations of Aeon Flux featurette
· Stunts of Aeon Flux featurette
· Costume Design Workshop of Aeon Flux featurette
· Craft of the Set Photographer on Aeon Flux feature
· Theatrical trailer
Final Verdict: It’s boring, annoying and sucky. That’s that.

What It’s About: I’ve never enjoyed Woody Allen’s movies (I never really got them) so I wasn’t expecting anything all that great form “Match Point.” So the fact that I really got into this one should tell you something about its quality. “Match Point” is an intelligent, and unique movie that doesn’t rely on convoluted plot or fancy special effects, just good acting and dialogue.
Sound boring? It’s not. Scarlett Johansson plays an American wanna-be actress engaged to a rich Brit. Jonathan Rhys Meyers is a man engaged to the rich Brit’s sister. Yet these two start an affair that causes oodles of problems. The movie really draws you in through its subtlety and you can’t tear yourself away. Watching “Match Point” is like reading a great book.
Synopsis: "Woody Allen's best since 'Crimes and Misdemeanors' (1989)" - Roger Ebert

Chris, a former tennis pro, social-climbs into the world of the British upper crust when he gets engaged to one of his wealthy tennis students. But Chris is not the type to leave well enough alone, and he soon falls for Nola, a sexy American actress who is dating his rival Tom, Chris' soon-to-be brother-in-law.
Technical Stuff: The picture is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen and looks quite good, creating a gloomy and bleak London. There are some scratches near the beginning of the movie which are slightly baffling for such a new picture.
The sound was a choice of Woody Allen and is presented in a Dolby 2.0 Mono. I’m not sure what that lends to the movie but for me it just made it sound cheap. A 5.1 would have been much better. There is also a DD 2.0 mono French dub, and optional English, French, and Spanish subtitles.
Extras?
· Trailer for “Munich”
Final Verdict: An engrossing film with dark characters, and a fascinating commentary on luck versus hard work. “Match Point” is highly recommended.

What It’s About: The first of the series by C.S. Lewis arrived in theatres last year to great pomp and circumstance. Was it deserving? Yes, yes, yes, with a teensy bit no. Let me explain.
The film is beautifully shot, the special effects are fanstastic and Tilda Swinton scared the Bejeebus out me as the White Witch. But the kids…well, their acting isn’t all that spectacular with the exception of Georgie Henley who plays Lucy. The others just aren’t as convincing.
But that’s really my only grips with this stunning, fantastical tale with good and evil and redemption and forgiveness. It’s a children’ fairy tale, don’t forget, so while some things might seem a little juvenile, well, they are. Narnia is an amazing land and I have to say, I’m really looking forward to the next instalment so I can get lost in it once again.
Synopsis: C.S. Lewis’ timeless adventure "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" follows the exploits of the four Pevensie siblings -- Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter -- in World War II England who enter the world of Narnia through a magical wardrobe while playing a game of ‘hide-and-seek’ in the rural country home of an elderly professor. Once there, the children discover a charming, peaceful land inhabited by talking beasts, dwarfs, fauns, centaurs and giants that has become a world cursed to eternal winter by the evil White Witch, Jadis. Under the guidance of a noble and mystical ruler, the lion Aslan, the children fight to overcome the White Witch’s powerful hold over Narnia in a spectacular, climactic battle that will free Narnia from Jadis’ icy spell forever.
Technical Stuff: Oh Disney. How I love thee. Your DVDs are always beyond compare. The Special Edition is released in a high bit-rate widescreen anamorphic picture that is just dazzling. The colours are rich, crisp, bright and vivid. Amazing.
The sound is also impressive and comes in Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 Surround. IT is perfectly balanced and has no issues. I felt like Narnia was in my basement! (It’s not.)
Extras? Boo-yah! They sure know how to release a movie!
· Collector’s booklet
· Commentary with director Andrew Adamson and Cast
· Commentary with the production team
· Making-of featurettes with the film’s stars
· Storytelling diaries of the filmmakers
· Anatomy of a Scene feature showing how the dramatic melting river sequence was created.
· Featurettes on 11 of the creatures in the film
· An interactive map of Narnia with descriptions of different locales
· Feature on author C.S. Lewis
· and much more
Final Verdict: If you’ve seen it, you’re probably going to buy it anyway but we’re still going to tell you to! Narnia is a treat.

What It’s About: Based on the best-selling book by Myla Goldberg, “Bee Season” is an utterly mediocre movie. It sort of flitted in and out of theatres without anyone noticing and although I think it will be very popular as a rental, people will think “I’m glad I waited for the DVD.”
The question is why? It’s hard to answer. “Bee Season” has a great plot, some original ideas, and great acting. I think it just doesn’t go quite far enough. It has the potential to be a really great movie but falters by not drawing the audience in enough.
Synopsis: Richard Gere stars in this gripping tale about a father obsessed with training his talented daughter for the National Spelling Bee. Eliza Naumann (Flora Cross) demonstrates such an amazing gift for spelling any word given to her that her father Saul (Gere) insists on coaching her himself. But as Eliza's success continues, Saul's newfound devotion grows causing huge changes for the entire family!
Technical Stuff: The cinematography is this movie is gorgeous and it comes though very well. The movie is presented in both a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer and a 1.33:1 full screen transfer.
The dialogue is pumped through in Dolby Digital 5.1 with English, French and Spanish subtitles. No complaints whatsoever.
Extras?
· Cutting Room Floor Featurette
· The Essence of "Bee Season" Featurette
· Searchlight Trailer
· In Her Shoes, Little Manhattan Trailers
· Theatrical Trailer
· Feature commentary by directors Scott McGehee and David Siegel
· Feature commentary by producer Albert Berger and screenwriter Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal
· 6 Deleted scenes with optional commentary by Scott McGehee and David Siegel
· Making of Featurette
· Searchlight trailer
· In Her Shoes trailer
· Little Manhattan trailer
Final Verdict: It could be better. If you’re a fan of the book you might enjoy watching it just to relive the story, but there’s something missing in this production that even Flora Cross as Eliza, who is spectacular, can’t make up for.

What It’s About: I loved “Dawson’s Creek” for the first two seasons. Then, like Katie Holmes, it just went bad. The plot became completely unbelievable, the characters un-likeable and the vocabulary and dialogue unmanageable. So I stopped watching and hadn’t seen anything except the series finale (which I had to watch since I loved the first two seasons so much) of this last season. When the screener arrived at my door, I was quite excited and prepared myself for a DC marathon. The verdict? Not bad.
Perhaps it’s the fact that I’m older and therefore cling to anything resembling my youth like a bra top to Tara Reid, but I enjoyed myself. Granted, it was pretty contrived and a little confusing to get into since I had missed the previous three seasons but the angst and drama were all there. It’s crazy to see Michelle Williams pre-Heath Ledger makeover but she’s still one of the best actors on that show and Katie Holmes just makes me want to barf.
The last episode is a two-hour free for all where they try to make you cry and cry and cry and really hit you over the head with “Oh my gosh, the show is ENDING you guys!!!” but I still think it was a very satisfying tie up even for someone like me who gave up on the series after season two. Good times.
Synopsis: It's a season of discontent for the Dawson's gang, with broken hearts and interrupted dreams causing major friction for all. Joey and Dawson rekindle their romance but the flame quickly dies out when he reveals he had a romance with an actress in L.A. - the same actress who's coming to Boston to star in Todd's movie. Audrey's dad helps Pacey get a job and makes her singing debut with Emma's band, but her inner demons threaten to destroy everything. And Jen faces the biggest challenge of her life - one that will have a lasting effect on them all.
Technical Stuff: Very nice. The picture and sound were digitally remastered for the DVD release and are lovely. The sound comes in English Dolby Surround with Subtitles in Portuguese, Spanish. It sounds nice and clean and the big fancy words and metaphors and analogies come through perfectly.
The picture is fullscreen, but looks crisp and the colour is rich and bright. No complaints.
Extras? They couldn’t release the final season without some sort of bonus could they? Here we have a scrapbook that includes photos and trivia. Still—we would have like a whole wack more happening here…
· Commentary on Two-Hour Finale with Creator Kevin Williamson and Executive Producer Paul Stupin
· Exclusive Scrapbook for Fans, Loaded with Photos and Trivia
· Bonus Previews
Final Verdict: Fan-Till-The-End or Abandoned and Returned, I don’t care. This is the final season of DC. You have to watch it!

What It’s About: Universal released three of these Glamour Collections this week, and they’re a great idea. Packaging six movies, the Carole Lombard collection showcases some of her lesser known films.
Lombard is probably best-known for My Man Godfrey and the original Mr. and Mrs. Smith, but here, we get to see her in Man of The World, We’re Not Dressing, Hands Across the Table, Love Before Breakfast, The Princess Comes Across and True Confession. I had never seen a Carole Lombard movie before these and was very pleased. Lombard is a great actress whether serious or comic and I really got a kick out of these oldies but goodies.
Synopsis: An amazingly talented comedy actress with the face of an angel, Carole Lombard illuminated the silver screen with her sparkling wit and dazzling beauty. Now fans have a chance to reunite with six of her most hilarious and heartwarming films, together in one unforgettable collection.

Join Carole as she travels to the seductive streets of Paris in Man of the World; gets shipwrecked on a tropical island in We're Not Dressing; chases after the millionaire of her dreams in Hands Across the Table; chooses between two romantic rivals in Love Before Breakfast; travels the high seas to murder and mayhem in The Princess Comes Across; and takes to the witness stand in True Confession. It's a DVD collector's dream come true with one of Hollywood's brightest stars!

Technical Stuff: Universal did an amazing job with these. The picture looks amazing for 75 year old films and all are presented in Full Frame 1.33:1.
The sound is also excellent, coming through in English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono. It’s clean and crisp. This set is an excellent value for your money.
Extras? None
Final Verdict: My favourite was The Princess Comes Across, but all of these movies are worth watching and owning. Highly recommended.