Mike Nichols' newest film, "What Planet Are You From" was completely passed over during its theatrical release.  It would be a real shame if that happened with the spectacular dvd presentation given by COLUMBIA TRISTAR.  This reviewer remembers how pleasantly surprised she was watching it at a promotional screening, even in only an average theater, without SDDS, DTS, or Dolby Digital!!!  Even with standard stereo sound, the wonderful Carter Burwell score resonated with me.  Thankfully, the dvd includes the entire score in DOLBY DIGITAL 5.1 on an isolated track.  It's incredible!  Really one of the best scores in recent memory.  The film, starring Gary Shandling, is not only hilarious, but sweet!  Sure, there's some off-color(think Farrely Bros.) type moments, but ultimately, the film's a love story. 

The transfer is spectacular, with pristine color values, no artifacting, and flawless contrast. We did, however, have non-stop problems with switching from the main menu to "play".  However, haven't been able to determine if this is a unique problem with the APEX player we're currently using, or with the disc itself.  The dolby digital 5.1 soundtrack is filled with directional effects, and a wonderful score as mentioned!

George Carlin if featured with a double feature on the new COLUMBIA TRISTAR dvd release, "GEORGE CARLIN:JAMMIN" IN NEW  YORK/DOIN' IT AGAIN.  "JAMMIN'" is an award winning show, offers a mellowed Carlin(if that's possible).  While his cynicism makes for great moments, it's more limited in laughs.  Not everyone will agree or even "get" his jokes on golfers, etc.  The quality of the transfer to this release is uneven, at times quite sharp, but also grainy in spots.  The sound offers no directional effects, but is clear.

"DOIN' IT AGAIN" offers Carlin at his best!  His comedic style is more reminiscent here of the Carlin most grew to love back with his "7 Dirty Words" routine.  Extremely "politically incorrect", it's sure to cause discussion, and many replays for viewers wishing to repeat these jokes at bars later!  The dvd transfer is actually better here.  While there's some grain, there's less of it than on the previous comedy special, and the image is sharper.  The sound is fine.

Jennifer Love Hewitt stars in "THE AUDREY HEPBURN STORY", and to our surprise, it's quite entertaining.  While we're still somewhat dumbfounded by the casting(Hewitt was vocal about the need to strap down her bountiful busom to play Hepburn),  she's not horrible, and her life is quite engaging as presented here.  There's some exotic locales, and the dvd transfer captures them in a pristine fashion, with flawless color values, and perfect contrast.  The stereo sound is somewhat lacking in breadth, with virtually no effects.