The Disney Studios are keeping themselves busy in releasing their invaluable catalog. Their magnificent DVDs are really collector’s items, not only because of the movie itself, but also for the generous amount of extras that they include. Following that fine tradition, we now have the charming and precious “101 Dalmatians: Platinum Edition,”the latest animated Disney to be released from the archives, before it is sent back to the vault.

It all begins when Pongo, a beautiful and proud Dalmatian, decides that his owner, Roger, a talented musician, needs a girlfriend. He succeeds in setting Roger up with Anita, whom Roger eventually marries. Pongo also wins in the transaction, because he gets beautiful Perdita, Anita’s Dalmatian. They all settle down in a modest home in London, and live happy for a while. However, Perdita gets pregnant and gives birth to fifteen puppies at once. This event makes everybody in the family happy — that is, until the appearance of Cruella De Vil, one of Disney’s most famous villains. Cruella wants all the puppies, and Roger tells her that she can’t have them. Cruella, of course, has plans for the little guys, and won’t rest until she gets the puppies. It’s up to Roger and Perdita, as well as a loyal network of friends, to find their children and impede Cruella’s plan.

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In 1983, England was engaged against Argentina in the so-called Falklands War, a silly conflict in which both countries claimed sovereignty for an island in the middle of nowhere. The war, however, left scars - then and now - that are difficult to forget. These scars, in part, set the tone for "This is England," a riveting and absorbing film that will surely make an impact in you.

With the gutsy direction of Shane Meadows - who it is said based the movie on his own life experience –, "This is England" is about many things, according to how you interpret the story - it can be about coming of age or friendship or racism or tolerance…

Thomas Turgoose is Shaun, an easy-going, twelve-year old kid, who is constantly picked on by almost everybody at school. His father died at the Falklands War, and he lives with his mother, who is very understanding and takes good care of him. His world changed when he meets a group of friendly "skinheads," that adopt him as one of their own. These skinheads are also easy-going, nice, and, above all, a racially mixed group. Their acts don’t hurt anybody, and friendship and fun is what they value most.

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English director Michael Winterbottom is truly leaving a magnificent cinematic testament of our times. Being also responsible for the unforgettable "Welcome to Sarajevo" (1997) and "Road to Guantanamo" (2206), he is successfully documenting the horrors of war and terrorism like nobody else, making them accessible to everybody, though well-conceived scripts. Once again, he achieves success with the insightful and penetrating "A Mighty Heart."

Based on a book by Mariane Pearl, "A Mighty Heart" chronicles in detail the disappearance and the subsequent execution of Daniel Pearl, her husband.
At the time -January 2002 –, Daniel Pearl (Dan Futterman) was the South Asia Bureau Chief for the Wall Street Journal, and Mariane (Angelina Jolie) was a journalist for French Public Radio. Because Mariane was pregnant, they were ready to leave Karachi, Pakistan, where they were established since the day after September 11, 2001. However, Daniel wanted to conduct one last minute interview with a religious leader. Once he left for that meeting, he was never seen again.

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There is something interesting about a movie starring English actor Ben Kingsley and the very talented Téa Leoni. It’s quite a strange combination, but it worked wonderfully in the wickedly funny "You Kill Me," a dark comedy, directed by John Dahl.

Frank Falenczyc (Kingsley) is a Russian hitman employed by a crime family in Buffalo. He is good at what he does, and the family really depends on him to keep things in order. Unfortunately, Frank is also a drunk, and he messes up one of his assignments, in which he had to assassinate Edward O’Leary (Dennis Farina), the godfather from another crime family that wants to take over their territory. Because of this mistake, his boss, Roman Krzeminski (Philip Baker Hall) orders him to relocate to San Francisco, so that he can clean up his act, by joining Alcoholics Anonymous.

Once in San Francisco, he complies with his orders, and tries to stay clean. That is, until he meets and falls in love with Laurel Pearson (Leoni). In addition, things in Buffalo take a turn for the worst, and Frank’s services are urgently required. All these situations provide for a delightful and intelligent story, with great dialogue.

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"The Jungle Book" is another treasure from the past, from Walt Disney’s vault, that is available on DVD in a deluxe platinum edition.. It joins such oldies like "Peter Pan," "Cinderella," "Alice in Wonderland," "Sleeping Beauty," "Fantasia," "Bambi" and others. Inspired by Rudyard Kipling, "The Jungle Book" is another precious film, perfect for all the family - one of Disney’s best.

"The Jungle Book’s" story line is very Disney, full of heroes and villains, good versus evil. In between, there are funny characters as well. In this case, the plot centers on Mowgli, who was abandoned as a baby in a basket, for unknown reasons. He is discovered and rescued by Bagheera, the panther, who delivers him to a Grey Wolf pack, and mother wolf raises him as one of her own. However, the happy times end upon the arrival of Shere Khan, a man-eating tiger. It is then decided that Mowgli has to be taken to the man village, so that he can get protection and survive Shere Khan’s appetite. Bagheera takes upon himself the task of escorting him to safety. Unfortunately, Mowgli has other plans: he wants to stay in the jungle, with his friends and loved ones. Of course, this makes Bagheera’s job difficult, as Mowgli keeps running away from him. During his escapades, Mowgli meets and has encounters with some funny and well-intentioned animals. He will also meet some mean-spirited ones.

"The Jungle Book," as most Disney animated movies, also has some of the best songs ever, including Louis Prima’s "I want to be like you," and Phil Harris’ "The Bare Necessities."

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