DVD Buying Guide: November ’06

Is November always such a shallow time for genre releases?  I’ve only been doing these guides for a few months so I’ve never noticed the trend before, but the amount of horror coming out this month could be counted on one hand.  And even then, the selection leaves much to be desired.

November 7^th:

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Might as well get the horror releases out of the way first, seeing as there are only 2 worth mentioning.  Freak Out and the latest in a long, long line of remakes and retellings, Jekyll + Hyde.

This may be the best release week of the month, however, because The Pusher trilogy finally, finally comes out on Region 1.  Haven’t seen it, but the complete arch of the trilogy is supposed to be astounding, so I’m damned happy to be able to own it.  Think of it as a Danish film version of "The Wire".

Crossword puzzle documentary Wordplay gets a disc.  Again, haven’t seen it, but my brother got a kick out of it (plus, the director just happened to be at the random showing of it he caught).

One of the finest films ever made, Cinema Paradiso gets a Collectors Edition.  The West Wing’s final season hits and is also available in a complete series set.

November 14^th:

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John McNaughton’s wackass Masters of Horror entry, Haeckel’s Tale, joins the shelves.  Bruce Campbell’s cult favorite Maniac Cop, a somehow even longer cut of Peter Jackson’s King Kong, and a metal boxed release of Oldboy.  Oh, and Forbidden Planet sees Collector’s treatment as well.

The latest installment in the unrivaled documentary series, 49 Up deserves your eyes.  I’ve seen a few of the series, which tracks the lives of 14 English kids from age 7 up, and it’s pretty groundbreaking stuff.  Then again, I graduated with a degree in Sociology, so I dig this stuff more than most people.  Must see stuff, me thinks.

Rounding out the week we have the long awaited Strangers With Candy film and…wait for it….Waterworld on HD-DVD.

I dare suggest a life has not been lived until having witnessed Kevin Costner quench his urine thirst in 1080i definition.

November 21^st:

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3 DVDs.  That was it.  All I could come up with that are worth mentioning.  And none horror, unless of course you consider An Inconvenient Truth.  Pathetic week.

November 28^th:

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You know the month’s release calendar bites when See No Evil is the most interesting horror DVD of the lot.  The comedy front has Clerks II and Dane Cook’s Vicious Circle.  Dane Cook may have grown into an over-popular MySpace whore, but Vicious Circle is hysterical all the same.

The classiest Hollywood blockbuster ever made, Superman Returns gets a nicely fitted disc.  But, if you’re a nerd, I’d go for the 14 disc Superman Ultimate Collector’s Edition, which contains everything Supes related, short of a chunk of kryptonite.

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Again, I provide lnks to Amazon (and will get a barely noticeable kickback from anything purchased through said links or search bar on the right side of every page), but your cheapest bet is to go with a place like DeepDiscountDVD or DVD Planet.  If you want to do some good, however, I’d buy from the remarkably comprehensive Twitch DVD store and support what I consider to be the best film site on the net.

Worth Buying Blind
Oldboy
Superman Returns
An Inconvenient Truth

Worth Buying if You’ve Seen It, Renting if you Haven’t
Freak Out
Cinema Paradiso
49 Up
Maniac Cop
Forbidden Planet
Strangers With Candy

Probably Worth Renting
See No Evil
Wordplay