DVD Verdict reviews: THE SQUID AND THE WHALE, THE BUSBY BERKELEY COLLECTION, and more!

Today, DVD Verdict posted reviews of THE AGATHA CHRISTIE MISS MARPLE
MOVIE COLLECTION, THE BLACK CROWES: FREAK 'N' ROLL...INTO THE FOG,
BUCKETHEAD: SECRET RECIPE, THE BUSBY BERKELEY COLLECTION, THE CHICAGO
WHITE SOX: 2005 WORLD SERIES, THE COMPLETE MR. ARKADIN: CRITERION
COLLECTION, DARK KINGDOM: THE DRAGON KING, THE DYING GAUL, THE RADIO
REVOLUTION: THE RISE AND FALL OF THE BIG 8, THE SQUID AND THE WHALE,
SWEPT AWAY: DIGITALLY RESTORED AND REMASTERED EDITION, 2005 HOUSTON
ASTROS: THE CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON, WAL-MART: THE HIGH COST OF LOW PRICE,
and WHISPER OF THE HEART:


THE AGATHA CHRISTIE MISS MARPLE MOVIE COLLECTION (reviewed by Jennifer
Malkowski, overall score 80/100):
"Rutherford's Marple is a hands-on kind of sleuth, always going
undercover and prowling around with a flashlight, but however tenacious
she might be, she is also pretty anxious about the fact that the
murderer always ends up trying to kill her, too."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/missmarple.php

THE BLACK CROWES: FREAK 'N' ROLL...INTO THE FOG (reviewed by Steve
Evans, overall score 97/100):
"Here's the righteous truth: The Black Crowes kick out cosmic jams like
nobody working today."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/blackcrowesfreak.php

BUCKETHEAD: SECRET RECIPE (reviewed by Adam Arseneau, overall
score 92/100):
"Combining elements of live concert performance, humor, and an obscure
archive of fan material, this DVD is a gift straight from the Chicken
Coop for Buckethead fans, but also makes a surprisingly persuasive
introduction to the guitarist for newcomers."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/bucketheadsecretrecipe.php

THE BUSBY BERKELEY COLLECTION (reviewed by Bryan Pope, overall
score 90/100):
"Pick a Busby Berkeley musical number -- any number -- and I'll argue
that it ranks right up there with Kong scaling the Empire State Building
as one of the most iconic of Hollywood images. "

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/busbyberkeleycol.php

THE CHICAGO WHITE SOX: 2005 WORLD SERIES (reviewed by Ryan Keefer,
overall score 83/100):
"Okay, so just why am I revisiting the success of the Chicago White Sox
2005 team that won their first World Series after an almost 90 year
wait? Because I care, by crikey. As the lords of baseball unleash
another regular season of hell and the boys in Chi-town unfurl their
championship banner, why not reminisce on the things that made their
year worth all of that and the proverbial bag of chips?"

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/whitesox2005.php

THE COMPLETE MR. ARKADIN: CRITERION COLLECTION (reviewed by James A.
Stewart, overall score 91/100):
"Criterion put together quite a package, but it's not complete. It seems
that nothing ever is when it comes to Orson Welles."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/completemrarkadin.php

DARK KINGDOM: THE DRAGON KING (reviewed by Mac McEntire, overall
score 81/100):
"A fast pace is one thing, especially when it comes to fantasy adventure
heroics, but in this case, leaping from one plot point the next in such
a rapid manner leaves little room for any character development."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/darkkingdom.php

THE DYING GAUL (reviewed by Brendan Babish, overall score 75/100):
"Every few minutes, I had to pause the film, just to understand what
was happening. I kept hoping the final scene would somehow manage to
wrap up this unwieldy story in a concise way that would have
explained what happened over the previous hour. Suffice it to say,
this did not happen."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/dyinggaul.php

THE RADIO REVOLUTION: THE RISE AND FALL OF THE BIG 8 (reviewed by Joel
Pearce, overall score 90/100):
"The fact that a Canadian station would take the American radio market
by storm, making and breaking numerous music acts in one of the most
crucial periods of popular music is pretty cool. And so is this
documentary, which celebrates the station with the same edgy, rebellious
spirit that made the station a huge hit in the first place."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/radiorevolution.php

THE SQUID AND THE WHALE (reviewed by Patrick Bromley, overall
score 96/100):
"It is raw and painful, claustrophobic and unnerving. It's also really
funny (something about tragedy plus time?) and fantastically well
observed -- so well observed, in fact, that I would give a word of
warning to any child of separated parents before taking it in. This is
the Jaws of divorce movies."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/squidandwhale.php

SWEPT AWAY: DIGITALLY RESTORED AND REMASTERED EDITION (reviewed by Brett
Cullum, overall score 93/100):
"There is nothing subtle or subdued about the performances from the two
leads. The heavy stylization may turn you off initially, but give it a
shot. Wertmuller wants to keep things loud and brassy, so that when
quiet moments happen they have impact and resonance."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/sweptaway.php

2005 HOUSTON ASTROS: THE CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON (reviewed by David Johnson,
overall score 90/100):
"All told, it's a nice lineup of baseball action, and a release that
Astros fans should certainly scope out -- no matter how bitter it will
be to watch the dream of World Series glory evaporate at the end."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/2005houstonastros.php

WAL-MART: THE HIGH COST OF LOW PRICE (reviewed by Russell Engebretson,
overall score 95/100):
"Wal-Mart is the retail behemoth that needs no introduction. It adorns
(or blights, depending on your perspective) the American landscape from
sea to shining sea. Filmmaker Robert Greenwald analyzes then
deconstructs the company's propaganda blitz that portrays Wal-Mart as a
consumer paradise. His conclusions guarantee that this DVD will not be
taking up shelf space at your local Wal-Mart."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/walmart.php

WHISPER OF THE HEART (reviewed by Joel Pearce, overall score 96/100):
"Artists of any kind must work hard to hone their talents, with no
guarantee that they will ever achieve greatness. In a world where young
people expect instant gratification in everything they do, this is an
important and timely message."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/whisperheart.php

Mike Jackson
Editor & Webmaster, DVD Verdict
www.dvdverdict.com