There's an interesting mix of TV shows that have been reviewed lately including one of the best mini-series to ever air and a better than expected movie spin-off. Recent TV on DVD reviews you'll want to check out include: James A. Michener's Centennial - One of television's finest achievements, the sprawling 12-part miniseries often feels like a museum exhibit come to life; A History of Britain: The Complete Collection - one of the finest history series to air on cable, you will not be disappointed by either the epic sweep or the detail that goes into the 15 episodes; and Terminator - The Sarah Connor Chronicles - The Complete First Season - A show that delivers the goods consistently; Action, drama, heart, and morality, it's all here. Other shows recently reviewed include:  Space Angel Collection 1, Jimmy Dore: Citizen Jimmy, and Charlie and Lola, Vol. 8: I Am Collecting a Collection.  Want more?  Check out all of the TV on DVD reviews in the DVDTalk database.

This week the DVD Savant has a number of new reviews including: Dark City (Director's Cut) [Blu-ray] - Alex Proyas makes his 1998 Sci-Fi Noir fantasy twice as good by adding eleven minutes of cut scenes for this stunning Blu-ray release. ; Vampyr - Carl Dreyer's dreamy art-horror masterpiece finally surfaces in a version that allows us to appreciate his weird vision from back at the dawn of the horror movie. Featuring a creepy funeral from the subjective viewpoint of the corpse, and a vampiric female fiend that says more with one lascivious smile than do decades of blood and fangs; and The Hunt for Red October [Blu-ray] Sean Connery's on the loose with a giant silent sub, and Alec Baldwin must brave icy seas to make contact with him. The Cold War rides again in this slickly directed and produced ode to Bad Russians and Noble C.I.A. Operatives. Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

There have been some recent announcements that should get movie fans really psyched. These include: The James Bond Blu-ray Collection, Vol. 1 which includes Dr. No, Die Another Day, and Live and Let Die and The James Bond Blu-ray Collection, Vol.2 with For Your Eyes Only, From Russia with Love, and Thunderball. Both are scheduled to be released on 10-21-2008; You Don't Mess With The Zohan - Adam Snadler's latest comedy romp arrives on DVD on 10-7-08; and The Ray Harryhausen Blu-ray Gift Set which includes high definition editions of Earth vs. the Flying Saucers, It Came from Beneath the Sea, 7th Voyage of Sinbad, and 20 Million Miles to Earth. This and a standard definition DVD version (not yet listed) will be hitting shelves on 10-7-2008; Other newly announced titles include: Errol Flynn Westerns Collection 8-26-2008, How the West Was Won (Ultimate Collector's Edition) DVD and Blu-ray 10-21-2008 and Doctor Who: The Complete Fourth Series 11-18-08. Be sure to check out our DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews.

There's a few new releases this week that you won't want to miss. Titls such as:  The Counterfeiters [review] - a tough, bitter, Oscar-winning drama full of complex questions; Disney Little Einsteins - Flight of the Instrument Fairies [review] - a great viewing option for preschool-aged kids, this disc is educational, involving and entertaining (a combination more rare than you might think); and Nim's Island [review]- a very pretty and rambunctious island film.; Other releases of note include:  Get Smart - Season 1, Foyle's War: Set 5 [review] and Star Trek: Season Two (Remastered). Be sure to check out our DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews including an entire section devoted to reviews of DVDs out this week.

The DVD Talk Review Database continues to grow. This week we've added reviews on a wide variety of films, from a documentary on an elementary school election in China to the latest film from the always interesting director Guy Maddin. Reviews of note include: Mulan/Mulan II - the original film is one of Disney's most distinctive animated efforts and deserves to be more widely appreciated; Jet Li's Fearless: Director's Cut - this edit achieves its goal of transforming a mediocre historical kung-fu film into a finely crafted and engrossing martial arts epic; and Brand Upon the Brain! - Criterion Collection - this crazy hybrid of melodrama, sci-fi, and horror excites more than it confounds, but even the confounding is exciting in Maddin's delirious world. Other recent reviews include: Catherine Deneuve Collection, Please Vote for Me, and Philosophy of a Knife: Limited Edition.  Visit the DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews including an entire section devoted to reviews of DVDs out this week and the ability to browse reviews by studio.

Brendan Fraser faces off against undead Jet Li in the mesmerizingly awful blockbuster sequel The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Panic finds a new residence in the terrifying Spanish horror film [Rec]. And Kevin Costner employs his boyish charm to sort out the election process in the political comedy Swing Vote. Also in theaters: The controversial love of Cabaret author Christopher Isherwood is explored in Chris & Don: A Love Story. And the long-delayed Clive Barker horror property Midnight Meat Train finally limps into theaters. Be sure to catch reviews of other recent Theatrical Films: The Dark Knight, The X-Files: I Want to Believe, Mamma Mia!, Hellboy II: the Golden Army, Lost Boys: The Tribe, Step Brothers, Wanted, Wall-E, Hancock, American Teen, Up the Yangtze, Baghead, Death Defying Acts, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Man on Wire, Brideshead Revisited, and The Wackness. As always, we invite you to share your thoughts on films In Theaters in our Movie Talk Forum.

What do the movies Seven Samurai, Godzilla vs. Mothra, Ringu, and Spirited Away have in common? They were all released by Toho Studios, Japan's most famous movie production company and distributor. DVDTalk reviewer and Japanese film scholar Stuart Galbraith IV examines the studio's output in his most recent book; The Toho Studios Story: A History and Complete Filmography. This meticulously researched book is amazing in its scope. Chronicling every film Toho released from its inception in 1933 through 2007 each entry includes not only the name and release date of the film, but also full production credits. Filled with information that isn't accessible on-line, this is a truly indispensable work for anyone interested in this important studio. Be sure to check out Stuart's previous books too, including Japanese Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, Monsters Are Attacking Tokyo!, and his definitive biography of two of the giants in Japanese film: The Emperor and the Wolf: The Lives and Films of Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune.

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