Greetings from Amazon.com Delivers DVD New Releases Editor, Jeff Shannon FEATURED IN THIS E-MAIL: * Earn This: "Saving Private Ryan" is stunning on DVD * Top New Releases This Week: "Patton," "The Thin Red Line," "Big Daddy" * More New Releases * Future Releases: "Notting Hill," "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me," "The Iron Giant" * More Future Releases * Monster Party! Historian David J. Skal on Universal's Classic Horror Filmns EARN THIS: "SAVING PRIVATE RYAN" IS STUNNING ON DVD *************************************************** "Saving Private Ryan: Special Limited Edition" (R) released November 2 starring Tom Hanks, Edward Burns, and Tom Sizemore; directed by Steven Spielberg Dolby Digital 5.1 version: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00001ZWUS/entertainmentsit DTS version: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00001ZWUT/entertainmentsit Steven Spielberg's World War II masterpiece "Saving Private Ryan" has finally arrived, and it's well worth the wait. Utilizing a new high-resolution digital telecine process called "C-Reality," this is arguably the most impressive film-to-DVD transfer yet released, with unparalleled clarity of image and color detail and a crisp, earth-shaking soundtrack (Dolby Digital 5.1, or separately available DTS) that's guaranteed to make this any videophile's demo disc of choice. Along with a message from Spielberg explaining the historical significance of D day and promoting the National D day Museum in New Orleans, the DVD also includes cast, crew, and production notes, and a documentary featurette (not on the DTS version) including interviews with principal cast and crew and several D day survivors. This is truly a film--and a DVD--for the history books. TOP NEW RELEASES THIS WEEK ************************** Amazon.com's DVD section offers comprehensive listings of new and future releases arranged in a weekly format. Here's a complete list of this week's new releases (release dates subject to change without notice). DVD "Patton" (PG) released November 2 starring George C. Scott and Karl Malden; directed by Franklin J. Schaffner http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/6305622930/entertainmentsit The same-day release of "Saving Private Ryan" may get more attention, but "Patton" achieves equal greatness as one of the finest epics about World War II, and one of the greatest screen biographies ever made. In addition to presenting the late George C. Scott's crowning achievement as controversial WWII General George S. Patton (a performance that earned Scott an Academy Award he didn't accept), this milestone film arrives on DVD with a behind-the-scenes documentary, an audio essay on the famous "Patton speech" that so memorably opens the film, and an isolated audio track for Jerry Goldsmith's Oscar-winning score. "The Thin Red Line" (R) released November 2 starring Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, and Jim Caviezel; directed by Terrence Malick http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/6305438218/entertainmentsit Two decades after his previous film "Days of Heaven," mysterious maverick director Terrence Malick returned to create this hypnotic World War II epic based on the novel by James Jones. A philosophical war film revolving around the battle of Guadalcanal, it simultaneously addresses life, death, God, faith, courage.... Let's just say this is as unconventional a war film as you're ever going to see from a major American film studio. Not for all tastes, but a masterpiece for those who tap into Malick's artistic intentions. "Big Daddy" (PG-13) released November 2 starring Adam Sandler; directed by Dennis Dugan http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000K3UU/entertainmentsit Taking a giant step down on the ladder of sophistication, "Big Daddy" gives Adam Sandler fans what they want: a lot of potty humor, multicolored junk-food vomit, a variety of mischievous pranks, and enough good-natured humor to make the juvenile stuff barely tolerable. Sandler plays a slacker who adopts a little kid to impress his girlfriend, only to discover that fatherhood is harder--and more wonderful--than he imagined. A good movie for when you really need a no-brainer comedy--and hey, the DVD even comes with a "Big Daddy" baseball cap, free with all DVD orders for a limited time. MORE NEW RELEASES ***************** These and other new releases are now available: "The Al Pacino Collection" "The Commitments" "Free Enterprise" "The Full Monty" "Going My Way/Holiday Inn" (double-feature DVD) "Grind Workout: Tai Funk Aerobics" "Jack Frost" "The Longest Day" "Tora! Tora! Tora!" "The Wolf Man" FUTURE RELEASES *************** Amazon.com offers a complete list of upcoming DVD releases, arranged by week of release date. DVD The following DVD titles are available for pre-order, and will be delivered as soon as they are released. (NOTE: All release dates are subject to change.) "Notting Hill (Collector's Edition)" releases November 9 starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant; directed by Roger Michell http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000023VTP/entertainmentsit If you're looking for an irresistible dose of wish-fulfillment fantasy, you can't go wrong with this popular romantic comedy in which normal-guy bookstore owner Hugh Grant falls into an altogether unlikely romance with A-list movie star Julia Roberts (playing a role only slightly removed from her own reality). Not only is the British humor (and Grant's delightful supporting cast) spot-on hilarious, but the stars are in peak form, and the portrait of fame as a golden burden is altogether accurate. The DVD includes audio commentary by director Roger Michell, producer Duncan Kenworthy, and writer Richard ("Four Weddings and a Funeral") Curtis; deleted scenes; a travel guide to the Notting Hill district of London; and more. "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" releases November 16 starring Mike Myers, Heather Graham, and Verne Troyer; directed by Jay Roach http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00001U0BN/entertainmentsit The smash-hit comedy sequel of 1999, this is the joyfully juvenile romp that brought us such instant cultural icons as Mini-Me, Fat Bastard, and the mystery of Austin Powers's missing mojo. You've seen it once (or twice, or three times), and let's face it, the movie's just flat-out funny. It's now poised to repeat its success on DVD, arriving with deleted scenes, commentary by Mike Myers, behind-the-scenes features, music videos, and DVD-ROM features. Go on... admit it.... You want this DVD.... It just might... complete you. Shhhhh! Yeah, baby, yeah! "The Iron Giant" (PG) releases November 23 starring the voices of Jennifer Aniston, Eli Marienthal, and John Mahoney; directed by Brad Bird http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000028U3R/entertainmentsit The most critically acclaimed non-Disney animated film of the 1990s was a box-office disappointment due to the lackluster promotional efforts of Warner Bros., but the studio has recognized its error and is giving this splendid all-ages adventure renewed life on video and DVD. The movie's about a young boy in the cold war 1950s who befriends a gigantic alien robot that crash-lands on Earth and is soon discovered by fearful military officials, with potentially tragic results. A funny, charming, and altogether triumphant family entertainment with a gentle message about the danger of weaponry, this delightful animated feature deserves to be considered a classic. The DVD includes deleted scenes, filmmaker commentary, a behind-the-scenes featurette, and DVD-ROM features. MORE FUTURE RELEASES ******************** Releasing November 9: "101 Dalmatians" (Disney animated version) "Against All Odds (Special Edition)" "The Clan of the Cave Bear" "The Golden Age of Rock 'N' Roll (Boxed Set)" "The Great Santini" "Hercules" "Life Is Beautiful" "Lone Star" "Mulan" "Saturday Night Live: The Best of Adam Sandler" "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" "Trekkies" "The Way We Were (Special Edition)" Releasing November 16: "Cher: Live from Las Vegas" "The Crossing Guard" "Five Easy Pieces" "Grand Illusion--Criterion Collection" "Instinct" "The Loss of Sexual Innocence" "Monty Python's Flying Circus" DVD sets 3 and 4 "Peeping Tom--Criterion Collection" "Tea with Mussolini" "The Third Man (50th Anniversary Edition)--Criterion Collection" Releasing November 23: "Apocalypse Now" "Beavis & Butt-head Do America" "A Bug's Life (Special Edition)" "Caligula" (unrated and R-rated editions) "Chinatown" "Entrapment" "The Haunting" "Heavy Metal (Special Edition)" "Lady and the Tramp" "The Last of the Mohicans" "Limbo" "The Love Letter" "The Matrix (Limited Edition Collector's Set)" "A River Runs Through It" "South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut" MONSTER PARTY! ************** OK, so maybe Halloween's already come and gone, but it's never too late to watch the great horror films that were produced by Universal Pictures in the 1930s and '40s. To celebrate the DVD releases of such timeless classics as "Frankenstein," "The Mummy," and "The Wolf Man," film historian David J. Skal was invited to produce, write, and direct supplemental documentaries for each of these must-have DVDs. In an exclusive interview with Amazon.com, Skal discusses the fun of honoring these icons of horror, the blessings of DVD, and the significance of these films in the history of the genre. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=entertainmentsit&path=tg/feature/-/12737 ****** You'll find more great DVDs, articles, and interviews in Amazon.com's DVD section at DVD ******
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