Greetings and Salutations, and welcome to the first installment of DVD Diggers, a (hopefully) weekly chance to look, comment, and sometimes mock what’s coming to the world of DVD,

It’s summertime and for the theatrical world that means one thing: remake! It seems every other week a new reimagination of an older movie is coming out. Basically, that’s a polite way of saying there is no creativity in Hollywood these days. Producers now strive to make a buck by cashing in on someone else’s success. Well, DVDs are fighting back by trying to cash in on the advertising of the remakes. This week the original, and most likely superior version of The Manchurian Candidate is released on DVD with a bunch of extras including commentaries and interviews with the cast. I’m hoping the Frank Sinatra interview was done some time ago, otherwise it probably won’t be too interesting.

It’s a good week for fans of not-so-great spy movies with the first release of Agent Cody Banks 2 - Destination London, and a double dipped Extended Edition of The Bourne Identity. Like all good releases that have been double dipped, make sure you’re careful if you pick up The Bourne Identity since it has separate Widescreen and Foolscreen (Fullscreen) versions. You’d certainly kick yourself if you bought the wrong version of the Extended Edition and had to go buy the film a third time on DVD.

Also with separate versions this week is a film I know nothing about: The Dreamers. This Michael Pitt film will be released with an R rated version, and an NC-17 rated version. Hmmm, NC-17... you know what that means, right guys? Legitimate Porn!!! Yay! It’s great when you can watch porn and call it art. The wives and girlfriends don’t seem to mind half as much. For those few who actually want to watch art rather then porn, the Academy recommends The Barbarian Invasions which was 2003’s Best Foreign Film, but doesn’t rate high enough in the DVD world to get any extras along with the film.

So, not a bad week for DVD releases. There’s something for everyone, with Oscar nominated films, legitimate porn, a suspense classic, and fast paced spy flicks. For my money though, the pick of the week is the Special Uncut Edition of EvilSpeak. Seriously, what could be better then an early 80’s film with Clint Howard in the lead role! I know at least one night next week will be spent kicking back with a bottle of Bacardi Limon watching Clint sell his soul to Richard Moll and get revenge on jocks. Now that’s a solid evening of entertainment.

DVD Pick