New Movies on DVD for Mature Dogs Like Me

Highly Recommended This Month
If this month's best DVD picks has a strong British accent, it is because few American movies qualify for best this month, but the Brits come through time and again, as they often do.

"Enigma"
Remember when spy movies were great, back in the 1940s and 1950s? "Enigma," a new one, ranks among the best. It's the exciting adventure of a British code-breaker assigned to the top-secret and seemingly impossible task of cracking the Nazis' mind-boggling Enigma code during World War II. It would spoil it for you to tell any more of the plot, but to quote Peter Travers of Rolling Stone, it is a thinking person's thriller that's "Mind-twisting fun, with first-rate performances." Those are from Dougray Scott, Jeremy Northam, Kate Winslet, and fast-rising young star Matthew Macfadyen. This is one film whose plot (code) you won't be able to break. It will keep you guessing and maybe even gasping to the last frame. The DVD from Columbia Tri-Star. Max's rating: two paws up and lots of excited howls.

"My Life So Far"
Denis Forman's popular novel, Son of Adam, comes to life in this delightful, charming comedy of growing up in a Scottish village between World Wars I and II. Directed by Hugh Hudson ("Chariots of Fire"), it is not fast-paced but wonderfully leisure in telling about the boyhood of a 10-year-old and his eccentric father (Colin Firth) and patient mother (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio). Rosemary Harris plays a grandmotherly "Auntie Mame" who strongly influences the boy. It's a journey back to a time and place that we have missed but, thanks to this splendid movie, we can visit now as often as we put on the DVD. From Miramax.
Max's rating: two paws up and several happy "woo woo woo's!"

"The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady"
Stepping back two decades before "My Life So Far," this two-disc treasure -- based on Nature Notes for 1906, the best-selling novel of Edith Blackwell Holden -- re-creates her record of the changing seasons in that kinder, gentler time in England. Twelve episodes capture the natural life in each month of that bye-gone year and events in her life as the months pass. Released by BFS Entertainment & Multimedia Ltd.
Max's rating: two paws up and many tail wags.

"Doctor Finlay"
The popular Masterpiece Theater television series "Doctor Finlay" is now available in a 3-disc DVD set from BFS Entertainment & Multimedia Ltd.
Based on characters created by A. J. Cronin, author of the best-selling 1940s medical novel "The Citadel," the series follows a British doctor returning from service in World War II as he picks up his domestic medical and personal life in 1946 in a small Scottish town. David Rintoul portrays the good doctor who finds himself as he heals his patients. If you loved the adventures of the young veterinarian in "All Creatures Great and Small," you'll enjoy this very special series as well.
Max's rating: two paws up.

"Mapp & Lucia"
The Brits take us to a seaside village in the late 1920s for the comic adventures of a local society queen, Miss Mapp, who reigns until a new lady comes to town by the name of Lucia. It was a very popular British TV series, now on DVD in a two-disc set from Acorn Media, starring Prunella Scales (the all-suffering Mrs. Fawlty in " Fawlty Towers") as Mapp, Geraldine McEwan as Lucia, and Nigel Hawthorne ("The Madness of King George.") It's quirky British humor at its best.
Max's rating: two paws up and plenty of happy tail wags.

"Inspector Morse"
The Brits have a way with telling a mystery story -- long on character and short on blood -- usually following the sleuthing of criminal investigators working out of London's Scotland Yard. One of the best of the television detectives is Inspector Morse, portrayed by John Thaw in a long-running British television series. Six films about his criminal adventures are now on DVD from BFS Entertainment and Multimedia Ltd. They include "The Settling of the Sun," Ghost in the Machine," "The Last Enemy," "Deceived by Flight," "The Secret of Bay 5B," and "Infernal Serpent."

Max's rating: two paws up.

Foreign Film of the Month
"Son of the Bride"
If you liked "Amelie" and "Chocolat" you are sure to enjoy this off-beat import from Argentina that was nominated for an Academy Award for best foreign language film last year. It follows a divorced father who at the age of 42 thinks it's all over for him, until he helps his father make a wish come true for his mother suffering from Altzheimer's. It would be giving the excellent story away to tell more, but take my and other critics' word for it: this is a good one, and one of the best "feel good" movies of the year. The DVD is from Columbia Tri-Star. Max's rating: two paws up and lots of tail wags.

Back Again: The Genius of Alec Guinness
"The Alec Guinness Collection"
Five of the funniest comedies of the British superstar are now restored on DVD in "The Alec Guinness Collection" from Anchor Bay Entertainment.
The films are "Kind Hearts and Coronets," "The Lavender Hill Mob," "The Ladykillers," "The Man in the White Suit," and "The Captain's Paradise," made in postwar England in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
These collector's items show the lighter work of one of the great acting talents of the century. Guinness of course also was an Oscar-winning dramatic actor ("Bridge on the River Kwai") and was the unforgettable Obi-Wan Kenobi in "Star Wars."

"Once and Again"
One of the highest-praised American television series of the past few years, but not seen by nearly enough viewers, the pilot episode and complete first season of "Once and Again" is one of the happiest DVD offerings of the year, in a 6-disc set. From the creators of "The West Wing" and "Thirty-Something," the series follows the tangled lives of a divorced woman and a separated man who fall in love with each other and marry, then try to blend their two families. Sela Ward and Billy Campbell head one of the best ensemble acting casts ever. If there are preteens and teenagers in your family, they will recognize themselves in this multiple-award-winning series released on DVD by Buena Vista.

"The Collector"
A young man likes collecting butterfiles. An innocent enough hobby if you're not a butterfly. But then he decides to collect something else that strikes his fancy... a beautiful young woman. (Glad this fellow isn't a dog collector.) Famed classic director William Wyler ("Wuthering Heights," "Mrs. Miniver," "The Best Years of Our Lives," "Ben-Hur," "Roman Holiday" etc.) was near the end of his career when he helmed this thriller in 1965 but definitely still had his old master's control. It is a harrowing adventure from start to surprise finish, starring Terence Stamp and Samantha Eggar. Restored in a new DVD edition from Columbia Tri-Star.
Max's rating: two paws up.

New on DVD for Puppies and The Family

"Mysterious Island"
A favorite fantasy film for kids and the whole family since its release in 1961, this British adventure is based on the Jules Verne novel, a sequel to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Now it has been wonderfully restored in picture and sound on DVD from Columbia Tri-Star. Some Union soldiers escape a Confederate prison by balloon during the Civil War and it takes them to an uncharted island inhabited by dinosaur-like creatures. Special effects by the master, Ray Harryhausen, inspired many of today's leading creators of movie animation and computer-generated effects. Stars are Michael Craig, Joan Greenwood, and Herbert Lom.
Max's rating: Two paws up and lots of tail wags.

Doggie Treats

Where to Get the Best Prices on DVDs?

Super stores such as Costco and Sam's Warehouse Clubs, Wal-Mart, and electronics chains such as Best Buy and Circuit City often discount DVDs including new releases. But my master finds most of his DVD bargains surfing the web at these sites:

DVD Price Search
http://www.dvdpricesearch.com
A web site that compares over two dozen on-line stores for the lowest DVD prices including shipping and handling and any possible tax if the store has any physical presence in your state. It also reports special sales and discount coupons available. DVD bargains this month include "Titanic" for $9.99 and "The Black Stallion" for only $5.99.

eBay
http://eBay.com
This humongous auction site's DVD links tell about individuals and on-line stores selling DVDs at often lower prices than brick-and-mortar stores.
But first go to DVD Price Search to see what they find as the lowest price.
Sometimes they're lower than those selling on eBay.

Half.com
http://Half.eBay.com.products
A sister site of eBay in which sellers offer new and used DVDs at sometimes half their store price. But, again, search DVD Price Search first.