アマゾン Dept.

(That's "Amazon", for those without UTF-8.) * Osamu Tezuka's _Dororo_ is now coming to domestic DVD courtesy of Universal. Conventional DVD only; no word about a Blu-ray. Runtime 139 minutes, so it's probably not edited. (Mieko Harada of _Ran_ also stars!) * Criterion has a forthcoming box set of films from the long-underrepresented Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki — he of _The Match Factory Girl_, _Ariel_ and other films I admired but have not been able to see for years. They appeared briefly on VHS in the U.S., but for a long time the only other places they were available were as Japanese imports. Kudos. * The Digital Bits's columnist Robert Harris "fulminates":http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/robertharris/harris062408.html quite nicely on the subject of digital noise reduction on Blu-ray. I have hated it ever since the second domestic DVD of _Ran_ (yes, that again) was ruined by the overuse of such processes, and was grateful that Criterion was able to restore the film to its proper look after Wellspring's botch job. * More Pang Bros. weirdness: _Re-Cycle_, which I had on Video CD and never got around to finishing. Interesting premise, but I've grown tired of the way Asian horror movies are devouring their own tails. * The domestic DVD of _Death Note_ is also on its way to us in September (as well as a limited theatrical release). * _Proteus_, a documentary about biologist and artist Ernst Haeckel. Looks fascinating, and I love the cover art all by itself. * *HELL FREEZES OVER!* _Ladies And Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains_ — one of those movies that you either love or hate depending on your feelings about the American punk scene (or rather, the way it was depicted [typically badly] in the movies). Diane Lane and Laura Dern are two of the leads, although my favorite bit is Fee Waybill as an already-washed-up metalhead. * The first half of the outstanding _Otogi Zoshi_ will be available in a single set for $26.99 MSRP. I shelled out for the full box set myself, although I'm not sure if this version includes the additional commentary discs. * Cinema Epoch is supposed to be releasing a domestic DVD of the film of Natsume Sōseki's _Ten Nights of Dreams_, but I can't find an Amazon solicitation for it yet. * *HELL FREEZES OVER YET AGAIN!* Derek Jarman's film version of Benjamin Britten's _War Requiem_ is finally set for a DVD release thanks to Kino International. (They also have a doco about Derek slated.)